What You Don't Know Will Make a Whole New World: A Memoir

Dorothy Lazard's memoir, "What You Don't Know," is a coming-of-age story about her thirst for knowledge and hometown pride. It explores her personal experiences connected to the Summer of Love, the murder of Emmett Till, the Black Arts Movement, and the redevelopment of Oakland. Despite the tragedies she faced in her youth, the memoir remains triumphant, animated by curiosity, reflection, and enthusiasm for life.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 29 June 2023
Publisher: Heyday Books

From one of California's most celebrated librarians and public historians, a coming-of-age memoir about the thirst for knowledge and hometown pride.

A Best Book of the Year, Oakland Public Library

Finalist for the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award - Autobiography & Memoir

What You Don't Know will inspire for its grace, zest, and courage.

— Joan Frank, San Francisco Chronicle

Dorothy Lazard grew up in the Bay Area of the 1960s and 70s, surrounded by an expansive network of family, and hungry for knowledge.

Here in her first book, she vividly tells the story of her journey to becoming "queen of my own nerdy domain."

Today Lazard is celebrated for her distinguished career as a librarian and public historian, and in these pages, she connects her early intellectual pursuits, including a formative encounter with Alex Haley, to the career that made her a community pillar.

As she traces her trajectory to adulthood, she also explores her personal experiences connected to the Summer of Love, the murder of Emmett Till, the flourishing of the Black Arts Movement, and the redevelopment of Oakland.

As she writes with honesty about the tragedies she faced in her youth, including the loss of both parents, Lazard's memoir remains triumphant, animated by curiosity, careful reflection, and deep enthusiasm for life.

Weight: 318g
Dimension: 139 x 216 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781597146081